At First Sight
by NikkiB1973
Summary: What would you do if you were in love with your best friend's girl and shared a special bond with them? Set in NM onwards very AU


**At First Sight**

**Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

Embry approached his best friend's garage. He heard Jacob laughing and a girl's voice telling him _he had lost years_. He wondered who the girl could possibly be. He went straight in, not bothering to announce his presence, he practically lived at the Black's house anyway so they were used to him just coming and going. Jacob's head shot up as he entered and he gave his friend an irritated glance; seemingly not happy that Embry had interrupted him. He was sitting on the garage floor beside the dismantled frame of a rusty old motorbike, sorting through the numerous parts. The girl was sitting behind Jacob, perched on an old upturned crate. Her long, shiny brown hair fell about her face as she peered over Jacob's shoulder.

"Hey Em, wasn't expecting you over today," Jacob said in greeting.

"I finished painting up the house and I got bored so I thought I would keep you company." Embry scuffed the front of his boot along the floor.

"Well it's kinda awkward Em. Bells decided to come visit and we..." Jacob began to say before the girl interrupted him.

"That's okay." She stood up and fiddled with the bottom of her shirt. She gave Embry a shy smile and his breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. She was beautiful, her pale skin accentuated her large chocolate brown eyes, framed with long lashes. His eyes dropped to her lips which were turned up in a half smile. He missed the rest of her words as he kept staring at her.

He was pulled out of his reverie by Jacob's voice protesting for Bella to stay. "No, Jake I have taken up enough of your time. I have to get home and start my dad's dinner."

Jacob sighed. "Aww come on Bells. You can stay for dinner here. Call Charlie and ask him to come up too. My dad won't mind."

Bella shuffled awkwardly as she glanced over at Embry. "Your friends here, another time maybe."

"Em you'll stay too right," Jacob finally turned his attention back to his best friend.

Embry was still staring at Bella. He saw her blush at his constant ogling and he finally pulled his eyes away from her to focus on Jacob. "Yeah, of course. I couldn't miss one of your dad's pasta specials."

His words caused Bella to laugh. "That's a good name for it. Sorry I've been rude. I'm Bella." She held out a hand for him to shake.

"Embry," he replied, taking her delicate hand in his own and shaking it slowly. He felt bereft when she took her hand away.

"Nice name," she gave him that shy half smile again making his insides melt.

"Well now the intro's are over you can help me sort those parts Em," Jacob gestured for Embry to join him.

"No problem," Embry sat down next to his best friend and the three of them settled down in comfortable silence to work on the bikes.

XXXXXX

Billy proudly set the table, placing the bowls of steaming pasta carefully around the table. "Dinner's ready." He called out.

There was a scramble for the table. Jacob and Embry shoved each other to get there first, while Bella and her father, Charlie took their time. Jacob pulled his chair out and sat down, immediately starting to eat. Embry waited for Bella to reach the table and pulled out a chair for her.

"Oh, thank you," she gave him her sweet smile again, making his heart skip.

"See Jake, there are some boy's who still have old fashioned manners," Charlie Swan teased Jacob as he too sat down.

"Sorry Charlie, if you get up again I'll pull the chair out for you," Jacob said cheekily.

Billy burst out laughing at Charlie's irritated expression. "Got one over on you there chief."

Charlie huffed in annoyance as he stared down at his bowl of pasta. "I see you went mad with the sauce again. What recipe is it this time?"

"It's Billy's bomber, very spicy. Make sure you have the water close by chief." Billy quipped.

"Billy's bomber," Jacob rolled his eyes at his father. "Do you have to be so embarrassing we do have company."

"I'm sure Embry and Bella don't mind," Billy winked at them.

Bella blushed and gave him a small smile. Embry was gazing at her with a captivated expression, which Billy noticed at once. "Got a crush have you Embry?" He teased.

Jacob's head shot up and he glared daggers at Embry; Bella's blush increased and she hung her head to hide her embarrassment. Embry sank low in his chair shaking his head in denial. His words seemed to reassure Jacob as his expression smoothed out and he went back to eating. Awkward silence made the sounds of everyone eating that much louder. It was broken by Charlie who took his first mouthful of Billy's pasta. His face turned a bright red and he nearly choked.

"What the hell have you put in this stuff?" He gasped out grabbing the glass of water and chugging it down quickly.

Billy laughed. "Just a little something to add flavour to the meal."

Charlie glared at him. "Just to my meal it seems. I don't see any of the others choking, do you?"

A crafty grin crossed Billy's face. "Oh well you always said you wanted something to spice up your life, so I used some on your pasta."

Charlie roared at Billy, who quickly swivelled his wheelchair around and disappeared from the room, Charlie hot on his heels.

The three teenagers looked at each other in surprise and suddenly cut up laughing. Seeing Bella laughing, her head thrown back, shiny hair falling about her shoulders made Embry smile with happiness. It was at that precise moment that he knew he was in love.

XXXXXX

_**Six months later;**_

Embry sat on the floor of Emily and Sam's house playing on the Wii with Seth Clearwater. The other members of the pack were spread around different parts of the small lounge. Jacob had nabbed the sofa so that he could sit next to Bella. She was playing with the sleeve of her shirt, nodding every so often as Jacob spoke animatedly to her.

"Right," Sam called out. He shoved Paul off one of the chairs so that Emily could sit down. "We now know what we are up against. Bella has told us why the red head has been hanging around. We need to step up the patrols so that they include the Swan's house. So, Jake and Paul you can take the first shift."

"I need to stay with Bells, someone else will have to go," Jacob protested at once.

"No, Jake. I'll be fine," Embry gazed at her covertly as she spoke. He had to be careful not to look at her too much or Jake would get suspicious.

"No excuses Jake, go," Sam's alpha command had Jacob reluctantly rising from his chair and telling Bella goodbye.

As soon as Jacob had departed Embry abandoned his game and went to join Bella. She gave him a sad smile as he sat down next to her. "Are you okay?" He asked her gently.

"So so..." Bella paused, dropping her eyes from his. "Em?"

"Yeah," he glanced around making sure that no one was looking and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She turned her beautiful eyes back onto his. "You need to tell everyone. I promised no more secrets."

Embry froze. "No, it will kill Jake. You decided that you only wanted me as a friend. I've stuck to that."

Bella sighed sadly, pushing her long hair behind her ears. He could ear her heart beating fast in her chest. "Em, I told Jake that I loved him." She glanced up at him fretfully.

Embry's heart splintered into a million pieces. He slumped back on the sofa, closing his eyes. "So this is really it, you don't want me?" His voice broke as he spoke.

Bella tried to take his hand but he snatched it away from her. "Embry," she whispered. "You said it was my choice. I don't understand why you imprinted on me, but you told me that you were fine with us being just friends."

Embry stood up, chest heaving with emotion. His arms shook as the wolf longed to break free and howl his misery and heartbreak into the air. "I lied..." he shot back at her before fleeing the house.

It was the worst day of his life.

XXXXXX

_**A year later;**_

No one should have to stand at a funeral and watch their best friend being lowered into the ground. Jacob was not even eighteen and his life was over. Embry watched a distraught Bella being held by her grim faced father. She was so thin, her hair hanging limp; her beautiful pale skin awash with tears. She and Jacob had been planning a future until the red head and her army had unexpectedly taken them all by surprise and launched a full on attack. They had no time to plan and had fought as best they could. The newborn vampires that Victoria had created were reckless and unskilled fighters. It had been easy to dispatch them. It was the red head and her companion who were the ones that needed to be watched.

Jacob had been exhausted, he had been on a long patrol when the redhead had launched the ambush. So he was already physically tired when he began to fight alongside his brothers. He fought valiantly, but his target had been Victoria. She was a threat to Bella and he wanted to be the one to end her. With everyone else caught up in the fight, he had slipped away and hunted down their nemesis. It hadn't ended well; with two skilled fighters ganging up on him and his exhaustion slowing down his movements, Jacob had been overwhelmed and finally beaten.

Embry would forever hear Jacob's last desperate howl in his head.

"Hey Em," he felt someone nudge him.

He turned to see Quil by his side. "Yeah."

"I thought you would be over with Bella," his friend asked him gently.

"She won't let me near her. She keeps telling me to stay away," he shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced over at her again. Charlie was pulling her away from the grave and she was fighting him. It made Embry's heart hurt, all he wanted to do was comfort her but she wouldn't let him.

"Look Em, you stepped back and let Bella and Jake be together. That was a huge sacrifice man. The girl does need you whether she realises it or not. Keep trying, because when she really breaks she'll need you to catch her when she falls." Quil patted his friend on the back and left to help Sam take Billy home. Jacob's father was not doing well and everyone wondered just how much longer he would be with them. Losing his wife and now his son had aged him overnight, the life in his eyes was gone and nothing could rouse him from his darkness.

Embry had never felt such sadness in his life.

XXXXXX

_**Six months later;**_

Embry took Quil's advice and stuck close by Bella even though she kept trying to push him away. He put up with her mood swings, one minute she would be lifeless, laying in a darkened room for days and then she would become manic, cleaning the Swan house from top to bottom taking her despair and anger out on him and any other person who crossed her path. Embry began to fret that she would do something reckless, her moods became increasingly dark and she talked often of death. He knew she was about to fall.

He sensed as soon as she made her decision to go to the cliff edge and dive from the highest point into the murky dark waves. His imprint bond was as strong with her as the first day he had set eyes on her. He loved her and had shared every happy, sad, desperate roller coaster of emotion with her. The force of her despair washed over him and he set off immediately to save the one that he loved more than life.

Bella was laying on top of the thrashing waves when he reached the top of the cliff. He could tell that she was still alive, their bond was weakening but it was still there. He dived expertly into the choppy waters and fought the wild water to reach her. It took all of his strength to tow her back to the shore; they were in for a bad storm and it had only been by pure luck that he had made it in time.

Water sprayed out of her mouth when she finally came too; her big brown eyes flickering open was the most beautiful ting he had ever seen. "Em," she croaked out. "I'm sorry."

Embry gathered her up in his arms and held her close to his warm body. She rested her head on his chest and for the first time in months began to really cry, letting the rain and wind wash her tears for Jacob away.

XXXXXX

_**A year later;**_

It was a slow journey but Bella Swan finally let Embry Call in. He had been a loyal friend over the past twelve months, never pushing her for more than just her company. Bella had grown used to him being there every day, quietly waiting. Embry had always been so good at waiting.

He came over in the evening to spend time with her as he always did like clockwork. She had made a sumptuous dinner and for once it was the two of them. Charlie was spending the evening with Billy. His friend was becoming increasingly frail and he was afraid that each time he left to visit him that he would be gone.

"You look beautiful, Bella," Embry complimented her as he sat with her at the table. She looked radiant. Her long hair was back to it's glossy best, her pale skin glowing.

She reached across the table and took his hand. "Thank you. You look handsome yourself."

Embry gave her one of his sweet smiles. "This dinner looks great."

"Well tuck in," Bella laughed and took up her own knife and fork. "I made it especially for you to say thank you."

Embry gazed at her lovingly. "For what?" He asked curiously.

"For everything," she said softly before leaning across the table and kissing him full on the lips.

_**FIN**_

_**A/N-Thanks for reading!**_


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